


The Space In Between

by ExtraSteps



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, M/M, dumb cute boys falling in love in an airport, meet cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:13:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22311544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtraSteps/pseuds/ExtraSteps
Summary: "My flight was delayed 3 hours so I was doing what any human does when they're bored. Minding my own business swiping through tinder & the guy behind me goes "ouch hard no for that one?" And I turn around ONLY TO SEE THE MAN I JUST SWIPED NO ON BEHIND ME HAHAHA"
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 25
Kudos: 144





	1. Stage 1: The Meet Cute

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThiamHarpy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThiamHarpy/gifts).



> Happy Birthday Dana <3

Liam gave a deep, irritable sigh as he stared up at the little electronic screen. Right next to his flight number was one word, written in red, flashing on, off, on, off: delayed.

The time, right next to it, stated that his flight would be delayed for _three hours_.

He huffed, returning to his ridiculously uncomfortable plastic seat and flopping down into it. Moments later he was texting Mason.

~~I could have been _sleeping_!

Mason mostly sent back laughing emojis, which only made Liam’s scowl deepen. What the hell was he meant to do for three hours? He’d already eaten the expensive and tasteless airport food, browsed the newsagent and various duty free stores, and already had spent the last forty minutes staring out the window at the planes taking off on the runway.

He’d wanted to preserve his phone battery for the flight, but there was no choice now, was there?

Doing what any human would do in such circumstances, and with a furtive glance around him to make sure no one could see his screen, Liam opened tinder.

The delightful thing, Liam discovered, about using a dating app in an airport, was that there was a lot of fresh meat. He matched with a few pretty looking guys, none of whom replied - lame - and continued scrolling while waiting for _someone_ to talk to.

One guy caught his eye for a moment. He had broad shoulders and a hairless, but muscular chest. He flicked through the photos, drooling a little. Clearly a gym junkie, and while he was pretty to look at, his actual profile left a lot to be desired: ‘Fitness. Healthy Living. Travel. No time wasters. 5”7 because apparently it matters.’

Liam rolled his eyes and swiped left.

“Ouch, hard no for that one, huh?” Came a voice from behind him.

He whirled around, going white. The guy he’d dismissed literally seconds ago was right in front of him, looking at him with a bemused smile. Liam’s mouth opened and then shut, stomach sinking like a stone. It was one thing to reject someone on a - supposedly anonymous - app, but a completely different story in person.

“Uh, sorry?” He eventually said, looking sheepish. “In my defence, I’m a notorious time waster.”

His lips quirked, his eyes - green? blue? - twinkling with amusement at his expense. “I see,” he responded, in a voice far too enticing to be legal. “Well, luckily for you, I have suddenly come into some time begging to be wasted. I’m willing to give you a second chance.”

Liam blinked a few times. He was a bit arrogant, maybe, but this close it wasn’t difficult to see just the slightest bit of longing in his gaze. Maybe he’d judged him too harshly. The only reason his own profile was even partially witty was because of Mason’s direct intervention. Perhaps the poor guy didn’t have a Mason.

For that reason alone, Liam took pity on him.

“I accept your generous offer,” he said magnanimously, grinning as Theo, 24, Marine Biologist, ducked his head, trying to hide his pleased smile.

“What’s first?” Theo asked, glancing back up at him.

“First,” Liam said with a pointed look, “you could come and sit next to me so that we can stop craning our necks to look at each other.”

Theo blinked. “Right,” he said. He turned away, grabbing his bag, an iced coffee and one of those terrible airport bagels that you regret spending fifteen billion dollars on when it’s dry and stale as shit. Sure enough, Theo had only taken a single bite out of it.

Liam quirked his lips. Must be some sort of airport rookie.

“What?” Theo asked as he sat down beside him, giving him a quizzical look.

Liam nodded towards the bagel. “Why waste your money?”

Theo shrugged. “I thought I was hungry. Didn’t realise they only serve cardboard here.”

He laughed at that, although he was more laughing at the betrayed look on Theo’s face as he looked down at the bagel.

“But I can’t just throw it out,” Theo said morosely. “It cost so much money.”

“I believe in you,” Liam said with mock seriousness. “You can do this, Theo.”

Theo gave a put upon sigh, getting up and dumping it into the bin, walking back with his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched over. Liam took pity on him, unzipping his bag and pulling out a protein bar. “Here,” he offered.

“Thank you,” Theo said gratefully, taking it from him and ripping it open. He sat down heavily, biting into it and giving a happy little hum that made Liam smile.

“Rule one of airports,” Liam said to him, “always bring your own food.”

“Noted,” Theo smiled. He polished off the bar pretty quickly, and Liam pulled out another one, offering it to him. “Oh no,” Theo said, holding up a hand and waving him off. “I don’t want to eat all your food.”

Liam held his bag open, showing it to him. It was loaded with protein bars, water and various other snacks. “Rule two,” he smirked. “Bring enough to share with pretty guys.”

Theo flushed a little at that, but accepted the bar from him. Their fingers brushed, and Theo’s gaze dropped to watch. Liam kept his eyes on his face, heart racing a little at the look on Theo’s face - half longing and half desperation. He filed it away, pressing the bar into his hand and waiting for him to take it.

He took it with a small smile, glancing up at Liam and then away, carefully unwrapping it. Liam watched him for a few moments longer before looking around the terminal they were sitting in. Around them, people were in constant motion; getting up and down from their seats, moving to the window and back again, pacing as they talked on the phone. It was endlessly fascinating, and he soon lost himself in watching each person one by one, trying to figure them out.

“What are you looking at?” Theo asked quietly, sounding curious.

“That woman over there,” Liam said, indicating who he meant with a tilt of his head, “in the purple top.”

“What about her?”

“Does she look like a florist, do you think?” Liam mused, tilting his head slightly.

“No way,” Theo argued. “She’s clearly a vet.”

He chuckled. “How do you figure?”

“Her magazine,” Theo pointed out. Liam craned his neck, squinting his eyes slightly. 

“Horses weekly,” he read out. “Touche, sir. Round one to you.”

Theo gave a triumphant sort of wiggle and Liam watched him from the corner of his eye, feeling fond. He definitely wasn’t the arrogant ass that he’d assumed he was from his profile. He was actually sort of sweet.

“You pick the next one,” he said, nudging him with his shoulder.

“You’re on,” Theo smirked, eyes already scanning the terminal.


	2. Chapter 2

Half an hour later, the two of them lined up in front of one of the many bustling coffee shops for a drink, mainly because Theo was still complaining about the cardboard taste lingering at the back of his throat. It was proven to be an elaborate ruse when Liam reached for his wallet to pay for his drink, and Theo blushed as he gently knocked his hand away.

“It’s on me,” he said, “as a thank you for the protein bars.”

Liam gave him a knowing look, and Theo grinned as he turned back to the barista, paying for both of their drinks. 

While Theo waited for their drinks to be made, Liam walked through the cafe, pouncing on the first clear table he saw and sitting down. 

Theo joined him a few minutes later, handing Liam his sugary monstrosity. Liam was touched to notice the extra caramel drizzle that circled his whipped cream.

“It’s like you already know me,” Liam beamed, picking up his black plastic spoon.

Theo just rolled his eyes, looking bemused. “No one orders that many caramel shots in their iced latte unless they have a massive sweet tooth.”

“Very true,” Liam said around his spoon, shuddering with delight at the sugary goodness.

They sipped at their drinks in relative silence for a while, and Liam searched for something to talk about.

“So, marine biology huh?” 

Theo chuckled. “Yeah, I sort of fell into it if I’m honest. The aquarium was almost my favourite place to go to as a little kid, like I could spend all day in there and not get bored.”

“I get that,” Liam nodded sagely. “Sharks are cool.”

“Well yes,” Theo said, eyes lighting up, “but so are fish and turtles and stingrays, and-”

Liam held his hand up, cutting him off. “Alright, alright,” he laughed. “All sea animals are cool.”

“Oh, sorry,” Theo said, a hint of dismay in his eyes. 

Liam immediately frowned, reaching forward to take his hand. “Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m really interested.” He’d only wanted to reassure Theo that he didn’t _just_ think sharks were cool.

“You sure?” Theo asked, searching his face. Again, Liam was struck with this strange dissonant feeling that Theo wasn’t used to talking like this, to someone showing an interest.

“Definitely,” Liam promised him firmly. “So you said you fell into it by accident?”

Theo nodded slowly. “Yeah,” he said, though some of the enthusiasm from moments ago was slightly dimmed now. It only made Liam more determined to get it back. “So I spent all of my time in the aquarium. There was one guide I used to follow around from exhibit to exhibit, he just seemed to know everything.”

Liam could relate. He’d loved museums as a kid, and while a lot of guides were interesting enough to listen to, there were some who just had a way of painting a picture of the past that just reeled you in.

“So you were his shadow, huh?” Liam asked with a smirk, sipping at his drink.

Theo’s smile returned for a flash. “I guess you could say that,” he agreed. “I badgered him constantly, asking questions, and he told me about a lot of the research he did in his younger years working as a marine biologist. When I finished high school, he actually wrote me a letter of recommendation.”

“Wow,” Liam said, eyebrows raising. “That was cool of him.”

“He joked it was to get me out of his hair,” Theo said with a fond smile. “I was working there by that point, just part time obviously, helping to feed animals and clean tanks, that sort of thing.”

“It sounds awesome,” Liam said honestly.

“It was,” Theo agreed, and some of the tension went out of his shoulders. He took a few sips of his drink, looking thoughtful. “I haven’t been back there in a while now. I should go check it out while I'm visiting.”

“You definitely should,” Liam agreed. “I bet that would be a lot of fun.”

Theo looked at him and bit at his lip. Liam watched him back, feeling suddenly nervous. He flushed a little and looked away, eyes catching on a man with a bright red jacket and yellow pants.

“What do you think?” He asked, watching the older man. “A colourblind divorcee?”

Theo laughed at that, scooting his chair closer so that he could see the man more clearly. 

“Possibly,” Theo mused. “Another option is a clown. Just hasn’t put his make-up on yet.”

“Ah yes,” Liam nodded sagely. “Ronald McDonald.”

This got another laugh from Theo, and Liam looked at him, once again slightly stunned by how beautiful he was. The thought that he could have missed out on meeting such a genuinely lovely guy was insane to him now. His hands were a little sweaty, that rush of endorphins of getting a crush on someone making his stomach flip. He was halfway gone on Theo already.

“I like your laugh,” he said honestly.

Theo looked surprised and then he blushed, ducking down to hide his expression. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

Liam just smiled a little sadly. What had happened to this gorgeous man that such an innocent compliment embarrassed him?

Before Liam could think on this any longer, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced over another text from Mason. 

~~I thought you would have been texting me constantly. Did you _actually_ die of boredom?

Liam scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Mason is so dumb,” he muttered to Theo, tapping back an angry reply that had a lot of exclamation marks in it.

Theo stilled. “Who’s Mason?” He asked in a funny voice.

Liam frowned, confused by the resigned and defeated way Theo had asked the question. It took him a few long seconds to realise what he was talking about.

“Oh,” he said with a laugh. “Oh no, yeah no. Mason is my best friend. I mean, he’s also gay, but he’s literally engaged to the love of his life.”

Theo blushed again, even deeper this time. “Oh, I just assumed,” he said, expression apologetic.

“It’s okay,” Liam told him with a smile. “Innocent mistake and absolutely no harm done. I love Mason to death, but it’s never been like that with us.”

“Okay,” Theo said, biting at his lip in a way that had no right being that adorable. “I feel sort of stupid now.”

Liam felt just a hint of panic. He wanted this to go well, he wanted Theo to _like_ him. 

“Are you done with your drink?” He asked Theo.

Theo looked down at his drink and nodded, and Liam took his cup and his own, disposing of them in the bin. He walked back to Theo and held out his hand.

“Come on,” he said. “We still have at least two hours to burn in this place. This was only our first stop.”

Theo looked up at him and then smiled, sliding his hand into Liam’s and letting him pull him to his feet. “Sounds fun,” he said with that rare, shy smile of his.


End file.
